Where Youth Unemployment Is Highest and Lowest

Young people were twice as likely to be out of work last year, according to new data.

It’s no secret that young Americans suffered some of the steepest job losses in the aftermath of the Great Recession. While younger workers continue to lag behind the rest of the workforce as the economy recovers, the outlook remains particularly bleak in states like Georgia, South Carolina and West Virginia.

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Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor published new state-level 2015 annual employment data for different demographic groups.

The national unemployment rate for people age 16 to 24 now stands at 10.5 percent. That’s well below the nearly 20 percent rate reached in 2010, but it still far exceeds the 4.9 percent national rate for all workers. Other measures taking into account younger workers not currently in the labor market show they have a much longer way to go for a full recovery.

States registering the highest youth unemployment rates for 2015 were West Virginia (17.4 percent), South Carolina (16.2 percent) and Georgia (14.6 percent). States posting the lowest rates included North Dakota (4.5 percent), Nebraska (6.5 percent), New Hampshire (7 percent) and Utah (7 percent).

State

Age 16-24 Rate

Age 25-54 Rate

Total Rate

Alabama

13.3%

5.5%

6.1%

Alaska

12.3%

5.7%

6.7%

Arizona

12.4%

5.0%

6.0%

Arkansas

11.1%

5.0%

5.2%

California

13.3%

5.2%

6.2%

Colorado

8.3%

3.5%

3.9%

Connecticut

10.0%

5.6%

5.6%

Delaware

12.0%

4.6%

5.0%

District of Columbia

14.6%

6.0%

6.9%

Florida

11.1%

4.8%

5.4%

Georgia

14.6%

4.5%

5.8%

Hawaii

8.7%

3.6%

3.7%

Idaho

8.2%

3.5%

4.3%

Illinois

13.1%

4.9%

5.9%

Indiana

11.5%

4.1%

4.8%

Iowa

8.4%

2.9%

3.6%

Kansas

7.5%

3.9%

4.3%

Kentucky

13.3%

4.3%

5.4%

Louisiana

13.6%

5.4%

6.2%

Maine

10.6%

4.0%

4.4%

Maryland

12.2%

4.6%

5.2%

Massachusetts

10.0%

4.4%

4.9%

Michigan

11.9%

4.5%

5.4%

Minnesota

7.7%

3.5%

3.8%

Mississippi

14.5%

5.4%

6.5%

Missouri

10.7%

4.3%

5.0%

Montana

7.2%

3.9%

4.1%

Nebraska

6.5%

2.3%

3.0%

Nevada

13.5%

6.0%

6.9%

New Hampshire

7.0%

2.7%

3.4%

New Jersey

11.9%

4.9%

5.8%

New Mexico

14.1%

6.3%

6.8%

New York

14.2%

4.0%

5.3%

North Carolina

14.3%

5.0%

5.9%

North Dakota

4.5%

2.7%

2.7%

Ohio

12.5%

3.7%

4.9%

Oklahoma

9.0%

3.8%

4.3%

Oregon

12.7%

4.2%

5.7%

Pennsylvania

10.1%

4.6%

5.2%

Rhode Island

10.7%

5.2%

5.9%

South Carolina

16.2%

4.7%

5.9%

South Dakota

9.6%

2.6%

3.5%

Tennessee

12.6%

4.8%

5.7%

Texas

9.3%

3.7%

4.4%

Utah

7.0%

2.7%

3.6%

Vermont

9.4%

3.0%

3.6%

Virginia

9.9%

4.0%

4.5%

Washington

11.7%

4.9%

5.6%

West Virginia

17.4%

6.0%

6.9%

Wisconsin

9.3%

4.1%

4.6%

Wyoming

8.9%

3.2%

4.1%

SOURCE: 2015 annual average (preliminary) unemployment rates published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

In general, unemployment for younger workers mirrors that of the rest of the workforce; states with lower youth unemployment rates tend to have lower rates overall. But a few states report particularly high youth unemployment despite average or below-average rates for other workers. In New York, for example, prime working age (25 to 54) employees recorded an unemployment rate of 4 percent, while youth unemployment was 14.2 percent -- one of the highest rates nationally. Other states with larger disparities included Kentucky (13.3 percent youth unemployment vs. 4.3 percent prime-working age unemployment) and Ohio (12.5 percent youth unemployment vs. 3.7 percent prime-working age unemployment).

Industries more inclined to hire young workers, like hospitality or tourism, have performed better in some states.

Demographics are another key factor. Of course, younger workers with higher levels of education are more likely to gain employment. Stark differences are further apparent across racial and ethnic groups, as young African-American workers recorded unemployment rates about twice that of whites and Asians last year.

Youth unemployment can also be assessed via state employment-to-population ratios. This broader measure considers those not in the labor force, including individuals who’ve given up their job search and full-time college students. Mississippi, New Jersey and New York recorded the lowest average youth employment-to-population ratios last year.

State

Age 16-24 Ratio

Age 16-19 Ratio

Age 20-24 Ratio

Alabama

44.6%

25.3%

59.9%

Alaska

52.7%

33.2%

66.9%

Arizona

48.8%

29.9%

64.3%

Arkansas

46.4%

26.4%

63.4%

California

43.3%

22.2%

58.2%

Colorado

53.4%

28.8%

72.0%

Connecticut

44.7%

21.5%

65.9%

Delaware

49.4%

30.7%

63.6%

District of Columbia

46.0%

13.6%

59.8%

Florida

44.6%

24.2%

61.8%

Georgia

43.1%

21.5%

59.2%

Hawaii

46.3%

27.3%

61.4%

Idaho

55.7%

39.7%

68.6%

Illinois

49.5%

31.1%

63.6%

Indiana

50.9%

32.1%

66.4%

Iowa

64.3%

50.6%

74.1%

Kansas

59.2%

42.1%

72.6%

Kentucky

48.0%

27.6%

62.5%

Louisiana

46.6%

27.7%

59.8%

Maine

53.3%

36.8%

66.8%

Maryland

51.0%

29.8%

67.2%

Massachusetts

50.7%

29.3%

64.2%

Michigan

52.6%

34.8%

65.4%

Minnesota

60.0%

45.8%

71.5%

Mississippi

42.0%

20.9%

57.0%

Missouri

58.2%

40.0%

73.8%

Montana

57.7%

42.1%

68.8%

Nebraska

61.9%

42.9%

74.4%

Nevada

52.1%

30.7%

69.4%

New Hampshire

63.0%

44.8%

77.7%

New Jersey

41.5%

21.9%

57.8%

New Mexico

44.0%

23.7%

60.2%

New York

41.4%

21.8%

55.4%

North Carolina

45.1%

24.2%

60.6%

North Dakota

65.3%

44.0%

78.6%

Ohio

52.4%

34.5%

67.8%

Oklahoma

52.0%

30.1%

68.4%

Oregon

47.4%

26.1%

65.9%

Pennsylvania

53.7%

35.3%

66.6%

Rhode Island

55.6%

34.6%

70.2%

South Carolina

44.7%

23.1%

62.2%

South Dakota

61.2%

46.0%

72.2%

Tennessee

52.4%

30.8%

67.9%

Texas

48.4%

26.2%

64.8%

Utah

63.1%

44.7%

76.0%

Vermont

55.4%

40.8%

67.9%

Virginia

49.0%

27.8%

65.9%

Washington

49.9%

26.2%

70.8%

West Virginia

45.0%

20.4%

60.8%

Wisconsin

61.4%

44.2%

74.0%

Wyoming

59.5%

39.1%

73.4%

SOURCE: 2015 annual average (preliminary) data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Part of President Obama’s recent budget proposal includes nearly $6 billion in new funding for youth employment. One major component of the plan is a $3.5 billion investment in partnerships with companies and localities to provide summer jobs and up to a year of paid work for those out of school. Another $2 billion would fund a competitive grant program aimed at putting youth who’ve dropped out of high school or are most at risk of doing so on a pathway to earning a diploma.